summa
Americannoun
plural
summae, summas-
a comprehensive work or series of works covering, synthesizing, or summarizing a particular field or subject.
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a work or series of works that is a summary of all human knowledge.
noun
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medieval Christianity theol a compendium of theology, philosophy, or canon law, or sometimes of all three together. The Summa Theologica of St Thomas Aquinas, written between 1265 and 1274, was the most famous of all such compendia
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rare a comprehensive work or survey
Etymology
Origin of summa
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin; Latin: sum
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
He received his BA summa cum laude from Indiana University in 1995 and his JD magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1998.
From Salon • Aug. 7, 2025
He graduated summa cum laude in 1950 with a degree in government.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 29, 2023
She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Miami, in Ohio, and later received a master’s from the prominent creative writing program at the University of Iowa.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2023
Both of us had earned our degrees summa cum laude.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
